5G Research

5G: Bridging the hype, reality and future promises

What should telcos do to bridge the gaps between current hype, actual performance, and future promises on 5G? We argue that a data-driven and forensic approach to roll-out and marketing will be the key, particularly in the uncertain economic environment driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, and review the timelines for future applications.

What will make or break 5G growth?

The roadmap from today’s 5G hype to mass consumer adoption and 5G-enabled enterprise applications is far from clear. This report identifies the key factors that will influence 5G development, and plots them on the 5G-aliser, which we will update regularly to track progress in 5G supply and demand.

5G network slicing: How to secure the opportunity

Network slicing is an opportunity for telcos to disrupt private networking, but it is new and unknown to enterprises. A ‘hand holding approach’, internal alignment and simplified pilots will be key enablers in its adoption.

The changing spectrum landscape: WRC19, 5G and beyond

The 4-yearly ITU World Radio Congress (WRC’19) which sets world policy on radio spectrum, most critically 5G this time, has just ended. What agreements were reached, and what do they mean for traditional telcos, new telcos, telco-sector vendors and regulators?

Curtailing carbon emissions: Can 5G help?

$1.4tn of benefits in 2030: 5G’s impact on industry verticals

The unique benefits of 5G could unlock $1.4tn of value in eight key industries in 2030. What steps should operators take to deliver these benefits? What business and organisational transformation must occur to unlock this opportunity?

5G’s impact on manufacturing: $740Bn of benefits in 2030

The unique benefits of 5G could unlock $740bn of value in manufacturing in 2030. This is based on models generated from 100+ interviews and surveys with senior manufacturing industry executives. What steps should operators, manufacturers and others take to achieve these benefits?

The 5G Core and NFV: different sides of the same coin?

The 5G network core is supposed to be fully virtualised and cloud-native. But formulation of the 5G standards has not been harmonised with the broader NFV project. What impact will this have on service innovation?

5G strategies: Lessons from the early movers

Telcos in South Korea and China have seen strong early demand for new 5G services. Where else is 5G commercially available, and what are the key lessons from early movers on 5G investments and positioning?

5G: The first three years

After considerable hype and uncertainty, the near term developments for 5G are now much more apparent, including which nations will go first, chip and handset availability, and the use of different spectrum bands.

5G: Why Verizon thinks differently – and what to do about it

5G: ‘Just another G’ – yet a catalyst of change

Our predictions for 5G, based on our assessment of the opportunities and barriers it faces, including how and when it will impact different markets. Combined with other technologies and industry trends, 5G will change the shape of the industry, but not in the way that many expect.

AR/VR: Won’t move the 5G needle

Virtual reality and augmented reality have the potential to generate vast amounts of telecoms traffic, together with demand for edge computing, network slicing and other 5G capabilities. But when will these technologies come of age?

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